


Mid-Winter Memories

by Thorns_of_a_Rose



Series: Scattered Petals AU [4]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Childhood Memories, Christmas Time, F/M, Midwinter, New Year's Eve, angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 02:20:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13137084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thorns_of_a_Rose/pseuds/Thorns_of_a_Rose
Summary: While on their mission, the Midwinter celebrations in a local village bring back memories of a different time for Leonard, a happier one.





	Mid-Winter Memories

“Are they here yet?”

“No, Yang, I told you to be patient,” Taiyang said, patting his young daughter’s head, “The Thorn’s and the Bladestrum’s should be here in time for you to open your presents.”

“I want to open them now,” the young girl whined.

“Ruby’s not even fully awake yet, sweetie,” a second said, Summer Rose appearing from behind Taiyang, holding Yang’s baby sister, who stirred slightly at the sound of her name.

“I’mma awake,” she grumbled, before her head lulled against her mother’s shoulder.

“Of course you are,” Summer chuckled, walking around the living room with her small child, finding a seat next to Taiyang, with her teammate Qrow passed out on the single chair. The five had been preparing to celebrate Mid-Winter for months now, joined by Team STRQ’s friends from their time at Beacon, Team GEAR, the two pairs now settled with families of their own, but they had all planned to get together this holiday season, and as usual, Team GEAR was running late, it was a common occurrence during the group’s time at Beacon, so this wasn’t a surprise to the three adults, their impatient child wasn’t enjoying it though.

“If Leonard’s late, I’ll kick his butt,” Yang grumbled, annoyed that she couldn’t open her gifts yet.

“Now, now,” Summer chided, “That isn’t the way to treat your cousin, especially during this time of the year.”

Yang just mumbled to herself, then there was noise from the front of the house, loud enough to wake her Uncle Qrow.

“Huh,” he mumbled as he stirred, “What time it is?”

“Just a little after nine,” Summer said softly, calming Ruby, who had stirred as well, “I think this means our guests are here. And if you wanted a bed, you could’ve just asked,” she gestured to the chair Qrow had fallen asleep in.

The grizzled man chuckled, “After the places we’ve slept, a chair isn’t that bad.”

“Back in those days, we didn’t have a choice,” Taiyang retorted, a smile in his voice, “You chose to sleep in the chair.”

The doorbell rang again, Summer started to rise to get it, Taiyang putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Relax, honey,” he said, standing up as he spoke, “I’ll get it,” giving the mother of his second child a kiss before going to the door. He was pretty certain he could here Qrow rolling his eyes at the display of affection.

 

Taiyang opened the door to four familiar faces and two children about as excited as his own daughter for the festivities today.

“Where are Yang and Ruby,” one of them asks excitedly.

“They’re in the living room with Summer and Qrow,” Tai responded, happy to see his two ‘nephews’, even though they weren’t related by blood, Team STRQ had become family to him at Beacon, and Team GEAR had become an extension of that, and that truth could be said to everyone among the two teams, well almost everyone.

“Leonard Thorn, slow down,” yelled his mother, Alexis Thorn seemed a little more stressed than usual, her calm demeanor worn thin by the recent season.

“They’re just excited,” said the other female in the door way, Emily Bladestrum, “I honestly don’t blame them, Pierce has been excited for weeks, we almost considered putting extra restraints on his car seat because he wanted to open his presents in the car. Speaking of which, Tai, would you mind giving us a hand unloading all of this.”

 

“Auntie Rose, Uncle Qrow,” Pierce shouted, the blue-eyed boy burst into the room, followed by Leonard, gold eyes shimmering with a reflection of the fire going in the fireplace.

Yang decided to smack them both upside the head at that moment.

“Ow,” Leonard exclaimed, the two boys rubbing the back of their heads, “What was that for?”  
“You’re late,” Yang exclaimed, a trademark grin on her face, ignoring the glare her mother was giving her as she asked the question on her mind, “Can we open presents now?”

Summer rolled her eyes, not even phased how much Yang was like her actual mother, according to Qrow, she was like that when they were younger to, just colder. Yang Xiao Long still had her father’s heart.  
“Not yet,” she said, causing Yang to form an adorable pout, “Your father is helping unload the gifts your aunts and uncles brought, once they’re all in, then we can open everything. Speaking of which,” turning to Qrow as she continued to speak, “Shouldn’t you be helping them?”

Qrow took a swig from his flask, “I’m just here for New Year’s drinking and that’s it,” he said.

 

After several minutes, the presents were all inside, with a loud cheer from Yang and a finally awake Ruby, the family dove into their presents. Among the gifts were a small cloak for Ruby, a practice knife for Pierce, some books for Leonard, and a rather large present for Yang.

“Go on, open it,” Leonard insisted.

“I’m going, I’m going,” Yang said, ripping into the paper that surrounded her prize, a wagon she had wanted for herself and her sister for most of the year, seeing the gift she let out a scream of excitement.

“Thank you, Thank you,” she exclaimed, wrapping her father in an attempted bear hug.

Her father just chuckled, “I didn’t get you that.”

Yang looked confused, glancing around the room, until she noticed Leonard looking quite sheepish.

“I knew you wanted it, so I spent most of the year trying to get it,” he said, rubbing the back of his head, “I mean, my Mom and Dad actually got it, but I wanted to get it for-“ he was cut off as his cousin squeezed him tightly.

“Thank you, Leonard” Yang whispered in his ear.

Leonard felt confused as Yang’s voice had changed as she spoke his name, he recognized the voice, but it wasn’t Yang’s, “Leonard,” she said again, and the room went white.

 

* * *

 

Leonard snapped out of his memories to his partner’s hand on his shoulder, trying to get his attention.

“You okay,” Elizabeth sat next to him, they were at a gathering for Midwinter in the village they were staying in. They had recently helped the villagers deal with a pack of Beowolves that had moved in about a week before they got to the village, the village elders convincing the group to stay for the their celebrations as a thank you. Leonard looked around, not seeing any of them, he assumed that the rest were dealing with their own issues, or just wanted some space for a little while.

Turning back to his partner, the concerned look on her face made him realize that he hadn’t answered her question.

“Yea,” he breathed out, “I was just remembering something, a different time,” he paused, trying not to cry at the memory, it had been the last Midwinter they had all been happy, not just on the surface, but truly happy, he remembered how quickly changed.

 

* * *

 

“Come on, tell us a story,” Yang insisted, staring at her Uncle Qrow, who was more than a little bit drunk by this point on New Year’s Eve.

“I don’t know, kid,” Qrow slurred, “Maybe you four should be in bed.”

“We’re not tired,” exclaimed Ruby, who had recently yawned.

“Yea,” Leonard added, “We want to hear a story.”

The four started chanting ‘story’ over and over until Qrow gave in.

“Fine, fine,” he said, “I’ll tell you a story about your mother,” as he spoke he pointed at Yang, not Ruby and Yang, just Yang.

“Don’t you mean, ‘our mother’,” Yang asked, noticing how the finger was pointed.

“Nope,” he said, popping the ‘p’, it truly was a tradition for the entire STRQ family, “Just yours.”

The four looked at their drunken uncle confused.

“They never told you,” Qrow asked, Yang slowly shook her head, unsure of what to think of this.

Upon seeing the nod, Qrow continued, “At Beacon a team consists of four members, your mother, your father, and me were on a team with a fourth member, your birth mother, my sister, Raven.”

Qrow went on to tell the story of how his sister had managed to save the entire team at one point by having him run from the fights just as things were turning for the worse, just before their current position was overrun, she had used her semblance to create a portal to him, getting the rest of her team out by that portal, she had nearly thrown Tai through the portal as he had tripped trying to escape the Ursa chasing him. The rest were enamored by the story, the adventure, but Yang let the fact that Summer wasn’t her birth mother simmer in her that entire time, the questions of why Raven had left her and her father started bother her, she would try to ask her father or mother only to be brushed off, only for by the next Midwinter, those questions had stopped, and now she was looking for the answers on her own. That next Midwinter, Yang Xiao Long had lost her cheery spark, on the outside, she was excited, happy, every positive emotion she could be, but Leonard knew the truth, she was hurt, everything they had learned that night still bothered her, and she never let anyone else in on it but him. It was a few months after that Yang had taken Ruby on a quest to find her birth mother, to find Raven, and Leonard knew how that story ended.

 

* * *

 

Leonard snapped awake, the memories still haunted him years later and he hated, he didn’t watch them die, but it didn’t change the fact that in his dreams he could hear them screaming in fear and pain. He always woke up in a cold sweat, and he hated it, he hated feeling like this. He was the most dangerous person on the planet, why did these deaths, things he was never responsible for or could even affect him so much?

Elizabeth touched him on the arm, causing him to flinch, only to realize who he had just flinched away from. His partner slid up his form, wrapping herself around his shaking form.

“Are you okay,” she asked, rubbing circles on his back, Leonard melting into her as his tears flowed freely now.

“No,” he said shakily, “I’m not.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry that this is my addition to Scattered Petals after all this time, I've been busy and haven't been very motivated as of late...for personal reasons, and not very happy ones. I'm trying to get back into the swing of things, and I'll be trying to get chapter in between school work come the new year, for now, enjoy a look into Leonard's past and honestly a lot tamer story in comparison to the rest of this AU.
> 
> As for when this is set, think of this as Volume 3.5, a shorter piece set in the winter months between the end of Volume 3 and where we will pick up in Volume 4.
> 
> Thanks again guys and I promise I will get my shit together soon.
> 
> If you wish to get to know the OC's of this story more, check out my tumblr, [RWBY-Scattered Petals-AU](https://scatteredpetals-au.tumblr.com) for more. Thank you all.


End file.
